Launch of Chandrayaan 3

 Watching it Live!

Travelogue 30

 

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.”

― John F Kennedy

"The Moon is the first milestone on the road to the stars."

- Arthur C. Clarke, Science Fiction Writer

 

Launch of Chandrayaan 3

Foreword

This is primarily the rather adventurous story of a group of four of us, including me, who set out to watch ISRO’s launch of Chandrayaan 3 lunar rover mission on 14 July 23 at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.  Before narrating the tale of our travels and travails centered around the thrill of watching the launch of the spacecraft live, it is befitting that I first say a few words about ISRO’s Chandrayaan initiative.

Mission Motive

What John F Kennedy said six decades ago (see quote above), about the American dream and determination to land its men on the Moon, is equally valid today for India’s efforts to soft land a lunar rover, even if it is uncrewed, through ISRO’s latest mission, Chandrayaan 3.  The cynic will always argue why a developing country like India, with the world’s largest population to care for, should try to reinvent the wheel, and that too just the bare wheel and not the whole wagon! (Not too long ago the argument would have highlighted the country’s poverty).  The answer is not so straightforward as the question itself, but the term ‘technology demonstrator’ perhaps best sums it up. It is essentially to proclaim to the rest of the world that this country, so rich in human resources, can also harness them effectively to keep itself abreast of the super powers in technology utilization. Of course, the answer is not as simplistic as this.  There are numerous scientific investigations that form an integral part of the mission, as also technology spinoffs, but this is not the place to go into them.

Lunar Landings

From time immemorial, humans have dreamt of exploring Earth’s nearest neighbor, the Moon, whose brilliant light in the night sky has mesmerized them. Here are the highlights of the achievements so far, in a nutshell:

In the long history of lunar exploration, there have been many more failures than successes. The first probe to land on the Moon was the Soviet Luna 2 which made a hard landing on 14Sep59.  The first photographs of the dark side of the Moon were captured by the Soviet Luna 3 probe on 7Oct59. The first US spacecraft to impact the Moon was the Lunar Ranger 7 probe which crashed into the lunar surface on 31Jul64. The first soft landing on the Moon was achieved by Soviet Union’s Luna 9 on 3Feb66, followed by a similar successful first attempt by the American Surveyor 1 probe on 2Jun66. Since then, the USA, Soviet Union and China have made numerous soft landings, some of them deploying lunar rovers as well. The most significant efforts were the series of Apollo lunar explorers with humans on board, punctuated by the first humans to land on the Moon in the Apollo 11 lunar lander on 20Jul69.

India took a major step in lunar exploration with its Chandrayaan 1 in October 2008.  It included a lunar orbiter and a crash lander.  Using a remote lunar mineralogical mapping instrument on the orbiter, it made the definitive discovery of water ice inside lunar polar craters. This is a discovery of major significance in the continuing exploration of the Moon. Chandrayaan 2, equipped with a lander and a lunar rover besides an orbiter, was launched on 22Jul19, but the lander went out of control and crash-landed in the south polar region on 6Sep19.  

At the time of this writing, after a successful launch, Chandrayaan 3 had been inserted into a lunar orbit as planned, with a possible landing of its redesigned lander on 23Aug23 after settling into a circular orbit close to the Moon. We will be keenly following further developments, wishing it complete success in meeting all its objectives.

The Chandrayaan missions are optimized to accomplish their goals with a highly efficient usage of the limited fuel that the systems can carry into space. Towards this end, the lunar propulsion module, with its lander and rover, is designed to go into a circular orbit around and close to the Moon only after a series of maneuvers around both Earth and Moon as shown in the following diagram put out by ISRO: 

The lunar lander (Vikram) will then detach itself from the orbiting craft and try to make a delicate soft landing on the south polar region of the Moon, something that its predecessor was unable to do.  After this is achieved, the next phase of the mission will be to roll out the tiny lunar rover (Pragyan) on to the lunar surface for an onsite scientific exploration even as its technical capabilities are put to test.

Hurried Plans

ISRO had given extensive advance publicity to the launch of Chandrayaan 3 mission, even specifying the most probable date (14Jul23) within a short launch window, and the precise time of launch (14:35) irrespective of the date. This opened up an exciting opportunity for those who wished to witness such events first hand.  Just about a week before, the intrepid Chiranjeevi, who had watched the launch of Chandrayaan 2 live previously, suggested to some of us that we should plan to witness the launch in person from the visitors’ gallery at Sriharikota rather than vicariously on TV channels. Though Chiranjeevi had come up with the idea barely a week before the launch date, in keeping with his style of functioning I have long known, Krishnamurthy and I agreed readily on the implicit understanding that he would look after all the logistics involved, again as usual in our dealings.  Joined at the last minute by a rookie, Pooja, Chiranjeevi’s wife, the four of us (see picture below, taken soon after launch at the viewing gallery at Sriharikota) launched our own hurried plans for the journey. 

ISRO had made it clear that admission to the visitors’ viewing gallery required a pass, obtainable online after verification of the person’s identity.  This was a quick and efficient process, and all four of us were lucky to obtain our passes without any hassle just hours before the process closed as no more requests could be entertained thereafter.

Chiranjeevi lost no time in making outward railway reservations from Bangalore to Sullurpeta via Chennai on the previous night, and return reservation by air from Chennai to Bangalore on the same night, expecting the Sullurpeta-Chennai part of the journey to be covered flexibly after the launch by any available mode of transport to reach Chennai airport in sufficient time. Not unexpectedly, all four of us were waitlisted for the overnight Bangalore-Chennai train. When it appeared just two days before journey day that we might not get a confirmed reservation at all for all of us together, Chiranjeevi took out tatkal reservations (a scheme that ensures confirmed bookings at very short notice at a high additional cost) as well, ensuring confirmed journey for all four, but at the usual high premium.  Rubbing salt to the wound, our waitlisted tickets all moved up on their own to the main list at the last moment! The railway ticketing rules meant that we would not get any refund on our original bookings.  In the process, we ended up paying for the railway journey more than what we might have paid for an air journey. Luckily, this was compensated partially in other unforeseen ways, which will become clear later in this narrative.

The Journey

After a comfortable journey, we arrived at Chennai Central railway station and had to transfer immediately, without any time for the customary morning cup of coffee, to another train on the east coastal route.  This being another superfast train, we had arrived as early as 9:00 am at dusty, hot and humid, Sullurpeta, the closest town to Sriharikota (see map below), about 25 km westward from where ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre is located 

We walked up leisurely to a nearby hotel, hired its only available room, freshened up ourselves unmindful of its abject condition, thankful only for running water and a ceiling fan in good order. Then we walked up to a nearby hotel for breakfast.  The self-service hotel was well maintained and very busy, but Chiranjeevi and Pooja took over the responsibility of getting the two older ones among us both a sumptuous and an excellent breakfast, something we didn’t really expect in a town which looked in such disagreeable shape.

On the way out, I suggested to Chiranjeevi that we should try to hire a vehicle that would be at our disposal till we reached the Chennai airport in view of a possible delay in leaving the launch site in time.  While we were debating this matter, Pooja had the presence of mind to talk to and persuade the head of a small family, who were travelling in a cozy minibus, to take us along with them to our common destination, with the assurance that we could also return to Sullurpeta and take a bus to Chennai, hopefully in time for our flight.  This settled, and with a potentially large expenditure saved thanks to our very gracious host as well as Pooja’s opportunistic intervention, we all set out on our journey to the launch site in the minibus.

Visitors’ Gallery and Museum

After we drove through the town and then on the long quiet road amid picturesque surroundings, with shallow water bodies on either side, we were excitedly looking for the sight of pelicans, for we were passing through their territory.  But we sighted disappointedly few of them. Perhaps it was not the opportune time.  We soon entered ISRO territory, with the right side of a Y-divide pointing to the visitors’ facilities while the left side, leading up to the launch complex, barricaded and heavily guarded.  Here is a google-view of the location, showing the launch pads in relation to the viewers’ gallery: 

At about 11 am, we were among the early arrivals, and after the minibus was conveniently parked (very inconveniently as it turned out at exit time), we walked up to the impressive, large glass-fronted building housing a museum (see picture below) on one side and a sports stadium style stepped viewers’ gallery on the other. 

In Pooja’s picture above, Krishnamurthy and Chiranjeevi are to my right and left, respectively. This was on our way to the huge visitors’ complex at the rear, at quite some distance behind.  If the caps and water bottles suggest a harsh environment, the impression is perfectly correct.

Before allowing entry into the premises, everyone was subjected to a full-scale airport style security check after scrutinizing the pass issued online. Entry to the viewing gallery was through the spacious three-floor museum building, and it began to fill up rapidly.  We spent a short time looking at the exhibits in the museum before moving on to the gallery.  Here is a picture of me near one of the exhibits: 

We went up the steps of the gallery, found ourselves a good vantage point, settled down and looked around, especially at the launch pad about 5 km away, barely visible behind a barrier of trees. However, it was a good sight through our binoculars and a spotting telescope we had carried.  Here is an aerial picture of the launch view gallery: 

Here is a panoramic picture of the entire viewers’ gallery as it appeared (to Chiranjeevi) at the time of launch of Chandrayaan 2 on 22Jul19: 

Below is a picture of me focusing my spotting scope, equipped with a zoom eyepiece, to the distant launchpad. Most of the people who had gathered around us had a good look through it and was operated by Chiranjeevi practically all the time 

It was around 11:45 am when we entered the gallery, and the launch was nearly three hours away. Though we were wearing our caps, it was very uncomfortable under the blazing sun and oppressive humidity.  Even under an umbrella it would not have been much better for me. So, I decided to get back into the museum building and wait there. I wondered how the other three stuck it out in the open.  Well, age was certainly more in their favor than mine! When it continued to be uncomfortable even inside the building because of the humidity, exacerbated by what was now a large crowd, I found shelter in the adjacent airconditioned museum. I stayed there well over two hours until about 2:00 pm, squatting on the floor along with a large number of other people who were apparently facing a similar plight. It was quite an ordeal to while away the time, doing nothing but waiting patiently! It was also about this time that we were all asked by the security staff to vacate the building for some reason. The crowd outside the museum was so dense I was at a loss to decide my next course of action, and was growing rather fidgety. 

Handholding

Coincidentally, it was also around this time that Pooja hurriedly came looking for me and found me fortuitously, trapped amidst the crowd in the building.  She had come apparently determined to escort me back to the viewing gallery, first through the dense crowd of people inside and then through the one at the viewing gallery, who were all jostling for a vantage point as the launch time approached. She literally pulled me along through the crowd and up the steep steps of the viewing gallery, all the way to where the other two were waiting for the imminent launch of Chandrayaan 3. But for Pooja’s thoughtful and caring action, and handholding support, I might not have been able to watch the launch at all live, the very purpose of my going all the way to that place. It was one of the most touching moments I have ever experienced.  The last time something like this had happened was in South Africa when I was the victim of a hit and run accident in Durban.  I will reserve it for another blog posting. 

The launch

As the countdown to the launch progressed, the natural excitement was being artificially drummed up and blown out of proportion by a few rowdy cheerleaders, with their raucous voices amplified and directed at the viewing gallery full blast.  The seriousness of the occasion was being trampled upon and ridiculed. It is astonishing that such a travesty was allowed to take place by the security staff who had played a commendable role in other respects.  

Amid the din, count down to zero reached precisely at the time ISRO had announced in advance, the rocket engines came alive in a blinding flash that lit up the bright sunlit atmosphere, followed by a few seconds of slow lift off accompanied by a loud rumbling noise heard all around. The launch vehicle quickly gained speed, rising in the clear blue sky, penetrating a small patch of bright clouds, coming out again in the blue sky, moving along an arc towards the ocean, continuing to be visible for quite some time in the clear skies.  Here is a screen grab from a video clip shot by Chiranjeevi soon after launch, showing both the bright engine trail and bright clouds in the neighborhood: 

The video clip itself can be seen here: 

This 56 sec video clip is a mini production of Chiranjeevi, dedicated to ISRO’s achievement of launching Chandrayaan 3 successfully!

Even about 5 km away, it was an awesome experience that kept me transfixed at the sky long after the launch vehicle became invisible. It was also my first experience of its kind. This was precisely the kind of experience I had hoped for, akin to events like a total solar eclipse that I am familiar with, something I came so close to missing had it not been for the spontaneous concern of one individual in that vast sea of humanity. 

My experience at Sriharikota was in sharp contrast to the one sometime in August 17 at the NASA Cape Canaveral launch complex in Florida, where I spent a whole day looking at the major facilities at close range, but on a day when no launch was scheduled. 

After the excitement and jubilation that followed the launch, it was time for some keepsake pictures. Here is one showing us with our generous hosts who accommodated us in their vehicle, taken before the crowd had started disbursing: 

The Scramble

The official capacity of the viewing gallery is said to be 5 000, but it appeared to me there were ten to fifteen thousand people there that day.  Practically all of them had come to the place in four-wheelers, including many busloads of school and college students.  These vehicles had all been parked in the space around the museum building.  After viewing the launch, there was a scramble from everyone to get out on to the road and back to where they had come from. We waited in our host’s vehicle for over an hour without any indication of being able to get on the road anytime soon.  We were getting anxious, for we had a flight to catch in Chennai, and the journey to the airport would need 5-6 hours at least.  As we were trying to come to terms with the prospect of a missed flight and the need for staying in Chennai overnight or travelling the whole night in a taxi, Chiranjeevi suddenly had one of his productive brainwaves!  He got us out of our vehicle and made us follow him on a wild obstacle race on foot to get to the front of the jampacked parked area in the hope of finding a bus bound for Chennai that would take us onboard.  Naturally, I was the weakest link in this race, but I held on, with Pooja’s support of course, as Chiranjeevi made it to a row of buses that were successfully moving out on to the road.  He stopped the first bus he saw and hurriedly explained to the occupants our predicament.  He outdid Pooja this time, successfully persuading the leader of the bus occupants to give us a lift to the nearest metro station in Chennai on their way.  The bus had been apparently hired by a group of students from a well-known college in Chennai. Their staff leader was pleased to accommodate us, all the more so because two of us were academics.  We were accommodated very comfortably in the front two rows of the bus. At last, we were on our way out of Sriharikota at around 4 pm, hoping to catch our 11 pm flight to Bangalore in time!  Notably, we were saving another significant amount of money because of the free ride graciously offered.

Journey to Chennai

The bus drove at a good steady pace, raising our hopes of making it in time to Chennai for our flight.  All was quiet and cozy for quite some time and then the inevitable cacophony of local movie music burst out inside the bus.  I had thought I would never allow myself to be trapped into a situation like this (see my blog article here), but had failed.  There was a non-stop explosion of the loudest pop music I have ever heard, accompanied by dancing at the back of the bus, which in itself would not have been much of a bother.  The bus was even set into vibrations repetitiously, as if shaken by a small earthquake (something I had experienced once in Santiago, Chile), and had suddenly turned into a torture chamber, at least for me because of my ultrasensitive ears. I don’t know how I survived it, but the fact I did only reinforced my self-belief in survival even in extreme situations.  After what felt like an hour of this torture, Chiranjeevi deftly got someone to turn off the audio, and sanity and peace were suddenly restored inside the bus.

But it was different outside. The bus was now driving through the heart of the city with such heavy and chaotic traffic I had not thought possible anywhere outside Bangalore. It moved painfully slowly, but non-stop, to our promised destination, which was Thirumangalam, one of the Chennai metro stations where we could catch a fast train to the airport.  At last, it was time for us to thank our hosts profusely and get down right next to the metro station. With a sigh, we realized there was adequate time for us to reach the airport in time.

At the Airport   

When we entered the metro station and got into the train bound for Chennai airport it felt like being suddenly transported into an ultramodern city like Dubai. The metro terminal was spic and span, the platform employed the latest safety features and everything inside appeared new, though the service started in 2015. Having lived in Chennai about six months long back, besides being a frequent visitor, I never believed I would see such a transformation of the city railway service. The same was the feeling when we arrived at the Chennai airport. It was no longer the mediocre airport it used to be not too long ago. It certainly looked like one of the best and most spacious in the country.

The redoubtable Chiranjeevi had thought out in advance where and how we would get dinner for that night.  Though I don’t know the specifics, he has some sort of credit card which entitles him to take guests into airport lounges and have them served refreshments, lunch or dinner. Though he has been urging me to go for one, I have preferred to stay at the receiving end of his hospitality. Having skipped our lunch that afternoon, we all had a sumptuous and leisurely dinner at the spacious airport lounge. Also, we were well in time for boarding our flight to Bangalore. Inside the aircraft we were seated in different places, Chiranjeevi way ahead of us. Some passengers in the front rows noticed the presence of former ISRO chief K Sivan and started congratulating him on the successful launch of Chandrayaan 3 and capturing selfies with him.  Chiranjeevi seized the opportunity, went up to him, introduced himself as having met Mr Sivan earlier at New Delhi airport on 03Mar20 after the launch of Chandrayaan 2 on 22Jul19, and got his memorable second selfie in flight with him.  Here are his two proud selfies: 

At Bangalore

Krishnamurthy and I had planned to take a bus at Bangalore airport directly to Mysore, something we have both done on numerous occasions.  However, Pooja didn’t like the idea and thought we would be needlessly tiring ourselves as also troubling our wives back home at an unearthly hour.  Chiranjeevi thought so too and they both invited us to stay overnight in their home and return to Mysore only the next day. Considering what she had done for me at Sriharikota, accepting their invitation was the only right thing to do.  When Krishnamurthy endorsed the suggestion, we all headed for their home in an Ola cab, quite a long distance away, but very quick to reach because of the light traffic at that time of the day. While travelling, I made a casual remark that it was only the first time that I was not staying with either of my two daughters who are both settled in Bangalore.  All three were quick to catch the subtle meaning of what I said.

They were living in a modern comfortable flat with a spare bedroom, where we had a pleasant sleep that night.  Next morning, when we were already feeling at home, Pooja insisted that we should have our breakfast at (her) home and prepared the traditional steaming rice idlis, with sambar and chutney to go with them. While eating, I quite forgot that I was not at home in Mysore. We stayed on until sometime after Chiranjeevi had left for his office early in the morning.  Then we reluctantly bade good bye to her and returned to Mysore by the Shatabdi express in time for lunch at our regular home.     

Epilogue

All four of us were motivated by a desire to experience things first hand, though they can be enjoyed through modern media in the comfort of our home. It is the same kind of desire that keeps taking me to distant lands to see total solar eclipses that last just a few minutes at most, when I can see them nearly, but not quite, as well through live tv or online through internet.

The awesome sight of the liftoff of the Chandrayaan 3 launch vehicle and its disappearance from sight barely a minute later was worth all our adventurous effort and expenditure. We always look forward to such occasions and even create some of our own such as the all night sky party at Gavi Betta some months ago.

As for the experience at the visitors’ gallery and museum at Sriharikota, the arrangements to handle such a large sea of people was very good except for the totally unwanted, clumsy, raucous, cheerleading act, that too at the exact time of launch.  The Museum was very spacious and well organized except for the absence of video displays which are the order of the day. 

The most puzzling and irritating aspect of the launch experience was the way all internet and telephone connections were suspended in the area, that too without any prior announcement, for several hours.  I wonder if this was really called for.

We now await the next momentous occasion in the continuing saga of Chandrayaan when the lunar lander will attempt a soft-landing on the Moon in its south polar region, hopefully on the 23rd of this month.